Kookaburra Mark Knowles doesn't score goals often, but there are plenty on his radar for 2010.

The Australian men's hockey team defender heads home to Rockhampton for Christmas, a chance to relax after a busy end of year which culminated in a Champions Trophy win.

"The Champion's Trophy is the third biggest tournament we play behind the Olympics and the World Cup. In 2009 this was our biggest tournament, one which is massive for the funding of Hockey Australia and the Kookaburras team and also to beat the top six teams in the world is a huge thrill for all of the guys," says Mark.

And it is the World Cup that is first on Knowles' wish list for the New Year.

"We want to win a World Cup - we haven't done that since 1986. The Kookaburras have lost the last two finals both to Germany in 2002 and 2006 so there is very strong drive in this group to train well and win that major tournament," he says.

An intensive training program in the lead up to the World Cup begins in Perth in January. So does that mean he has to avoid too much Christmas cheer over the next few weeks?

"I will be enjoying it. When you run as hard as we do you can pretty much eat whatever you like."

Following on from a 3-1 defeat in the round matches, the Kookaburras responded in the Champions Trophy final - especially pleasing to reverse the result in front of a home crowd in Melbourne.

"That's the first time that any of the players in the team have played a champions trophy in Australia. The last one was in 1999 in Brisbane, so it was fantastic for our guys to put on a good show in front of a good hockey crowd in Melbourne.

"Going into the halftime break at 3-1 down, the Aussie crowd definitely helped. We got that early goal in the second half and the crowd really got behind us. Very rarely do we get to play in front of a 5 and a half/6 thousand people in a hockey final so was great for us all to experience."

He expects that crowd to pale into insignificance compared to the numbers expected to the World Cup games in New Delhi.

"I think there will be 10 to 15 thousand in India for the finals definitely, Hockey Australia and Hockey Victoria did a fantastic job and it was one of the best Champions Trophies I have ever played at - but the World Cup is just the next step up, and India is one of those places where everyone wants to play," says Mark.

Mark and the Kookaburras spend quite a bit of time in India next year, returning in October to contest the Commonwealth Games.

"Hopefully we will stay in a pretty good hotel over there that serves something other than curry but I don't mind that stuff actually. There is a lot of depth in Hockey in Australia, especially at the top levels and that's what's driving the players. We are all looking forward to a successful 2010."

The Kookaburras have drawn Pakistan, South Africa, England, Spain and host nation India in their pool for the World Cup - the tournament begins on February 28.